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This signing underscores the need to get back to developing our own talent. We were left in a position where our internal alternatives weren't that close to ready and the market was filled with other fatally flawed players.

I don't hate this signing as much as I thought I would. Regardless of hitting, Chooch will be good for the pitchers especially as we bring in Biddle, Morgan and others.

What's wrong with bringing Ruiz back? Weiters is younger, but its not like he's some spring chicken. I'm cool with Ruiz coming back for another year or two (hell or three if he can play). He can always be traded, released, bought out, etc. Contract terms (unless truly ridiculous) are not that big of an issue in baseball. Phillies have the money to spend and there isn't too much else out there they are going to be signing I think, certainly not something that this signing will prevent.

I guess what I'm saying is if the contract is your problem...get over it. It's not like there is a salary Cap or the Phillies are going to now have to forgo signing an integral piece because of this signing. If you think Chooch just simply can't play anymore, that is a more reasonable argument and I can understand that POV. I personally think he has another year or two left in the tank to put up solid numbers, and he's no slouch on defense either.

The Byrd contract makes a lot less sense than this one. My hope is that Byrd is going to be a bench player and someone else is going to be brought in...but we'll see.

I don't hate the Ruiz signing given the other options and the internal options. Great defensive catcher, maybe can replicate SOME of that one great year he had at the plate.

He had three straight good years. Last year was down after he served that suspension and he wasn't atrocious. If he hits around .280 (which I don't think is out of the question), you really can't complain about the signing, especially factoring the his defense. The guy doesn't strike out all that much and as a #7/#8 hitter, is pretty solid. Don't mistake this for me saying he's the best catcher in the game or anything like that, but it's not like they have some scrub back there.

For those talking about Wietters, he's a Scott Boras client. When the Orioles approached him about an extension last spring, Boras proposed a Joe Mauer like contract (8 years, $184 million). There's a reason he's being made available now.

The goal of the Phillies is to be as competitive as possible until they sign their new TV contract. No way they start the necessary rebuild until that thing is signed, since we know that will be accompanied by the requisite drop in attendance and interest. Sorry, but you'll just need to suck it up in the short term and hope the contract pays some long term benefits in terms of capital spent on baseball operations (not just in terms of player salary, but player development, scouting, foreign academies, etc)

For those talking about Wietters, he's a Scott Boras client. When the Orioles approached him about an extension last spring, Boras proposed a Joe Mauer like contract (8 years, $184 million). There's a reason he's being made available now.

The goal of the Phillies is to be as competitive as possible until they sign their new TV contract. No way they start the necessary rebuild until that thing is signed, since we know that will be accompanied by the requisite drop in attendance and interest. Sorry, but you'll just need to suck it up in the short term and hope the contract pays some long term benefits in terms of capital spent on baseball operations (not just in terms of player salary, but player development, scouting, foreign academies, etc)

Yeah I just saw that Boras was his agent. He's bad news, I'm glad the Phillies stayed away haha.

He had three straight good years. Last year was down after he served that suspension and he wasn't atrocious. If he hits around .280 (which I don't think is out of the question), you really can't complain about the signing, especially factoring the his defense. The guy doesn't strike out all that much and as a #7/#8 hitter, is pretty solid. Don't mistake this for me saying he's the best catcher in the game or anything like that, but it's not like they have some scrub back there.

Yep. He was pretty decent last year at the plate and that was after missing time for the suspension and then again because of injury. It's not like there were a lot of better options out there. Trading for Wieters would not only have us looking at handing out another really big contract in a couple years, but it would cut into a farm system that is already lacking in high level prospects.